As he preps for 2022, Abbott may steal a page from U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who last year tried to hold on to fervent Trump supporters while appealing to more moderate swing voters in the suburbs. Those employer. The data presented here is sourced from the Texas Ethics Commission, which displays campaign finance filings from candidate committees. Sign up for our newsletter to track moneys influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Karnei, the CEO of a Central Texas power cooperative, is an abounding donor to politicians and energy-related political action committees, campaign finance records show. Showing these clusters of contributions from people associated with particular organizations provides a valuable Warren's donation is . Greg) Abbott is taking million-dollar checks from the CEOs who profited off of the grid collapse, were receiving support from people all over Texas who want to ensure that our state finally leads in great jobs, world class schools and the ability to see a doctor," O'Rourke said in a statement. Lori Cobos and DeAnn Walker, two Abbott appointees who sit on ERCOTs board due to their respective positions with the state, are listed among the governors lengthy list of political donors. Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to cut off funding for the legislature after Democrats walked out of the final session to prevent the passage of Abbott's voter integrity bill. A contribution to a candidate may be given an grand total of contributions Greg Abbott has reported in 2022Number of Contributions from Individuals (above itemization threshold): 292,180. He knows how to walk that fine line between moderate Republicans and those that are very right of center, she said. But an analysis of state campaign finance records by the KSAT 12 Defenders shows three current members of ERCOTs board have contributed thousands to Abbotts campaigns, with some of the funds dating back to his days as Texas Attorney General. More: Ahead of primary, Gov. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. We do this in two ways: It is impossible to know either the economic interest that made each individual contribution possible or the Warrens Energy Transfer cofounder Ray Davis gave $125,000 to Abbott. Abbott raises $19 million, Beto O'Rourke's fast start nets $7.2 million in race for governor. Disclosure: Calpine, CenterPoint Energy, NRG Energy, Oncor, University of Texas at Austin and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Of all the statewide elections in Texas, the attorney generals race is expected to be the most competitive. More than a quarter of Hancocks contributions in June came from energy interests, about $53,500 the most he has ever received in a post-legislative session period. But the bill didnt set a hard deadline for when the upgrades need to be complete and it stopped short of detailing how the state would enforce and incentivize the process called weatherization. Except for the Revolving Door section, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License by OpenSecrets.org. One of the things that contributors are buying when they are contributing to a public official is access. We dont take anything for granted, he said. He did not respond to a request for comment. O'Rourke is running in the Democratic primary and facesMichael Cooper, Joy Diaz, Inocencio Barrientez and Rich Wakeland. Paddie has received thousands in contributions from these entities in election years, but never this amount immediately after a legislative session. Using previous figures reported by the Texas Ethics Commission, O'Rourke has now raised more than $65 million in what has become one of America's most expensive races of the 2022 midterms. Im grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63 million in just over four months as we support the powerful work of our organizers and more than 78,000 volunteers, O'Rourke said in the release. The other organizations on the list include law firms, teachers groups and liberal political action committees. Hancock also has ties to the energy industry in his full-time job as a business owner. Connect with needs and opportunities from. Last Christmas, Governor Greg Abbott bussed and dumped migrant families in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C. Greg Abbott dwarfing other candidates in energy-interest contributions, according to a KHOU 11 analysis of data . Abbott is bought and paid for by his billionaire donors, a spokesperson for ORourkes campaign told Forbes in an email. Power companies were in the hot seat, as millions of Texans who endured a week of subfreezing temperatures with no power demanded sweeping, multibillion dollar improvements to prevent another deadly disaster and lawmakers promised action. As Gov. the first of the month. State GOP Chairman Allen West heads most lists of possible challengers to Abbott in the March 2022 Republican primary, many of which also include former state Sen. Don Huffines. About 26% of Patrick's contributions in June came from energy interests, more than $1.3 million, his most ever in the post-session stretch. (An Abbott spokesman did not release the campaigns report for the second half of 2020, which is due at the Texas Ethics Commission on Friday.). According to its website, OPUC represents the interests of residential and small commercial consumers, as a class, in utility proceedings in Texas. As Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the gubernatorial primary: current Gov. Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved. after the 20th of every month. Overall since 2014, Abbott has received about $30 million from oil, gas and other energy interests, which is about 18% of his $166 million total raised in that time. The PUC has largely avoided blame for last weeks power issues, so far, despite providing oversight to ERCOT. The oil and gas industry was Abbotts top contributor, accounting for 19% of all funds raised, according to the report. Gov. Beto O'Rourke announces he's running for governor of Texas. For a time, there was buzz about Shelley Luther, who catapulted to fame for reopening her Dallas hair salon in defiance of COVID-19 restrictions. assigned to all non-wage earning family members. Most of Patricks energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed HB 923, delivering . About 26% of Patrick's contributions in June came from energy interests, more than $1.3 million, his most ever in the post-session stretch. And what you want to be able to do is have the ear of the lawmakers, said Andrew Wheat of Texans for Public Justice, an Austin non-profit that tracks money in Texas politics. These totals are conservative, as not all of the Rene Cross of the University of Houstons Hobby School of Public Affairs, though, said Abbotts most vulnerable to a test by a younger Democrat such as ORourke or the Castro brothers of San Antonio, Julin and Joaquin. Schwertner went from receiving 3% of his overall campaign contributions from the energy industry in the fundraising period after the 2015 legislative session to the industry making up about 32% of his contributions in 2021. Paddie received contributions from Oncor; Vistra, the states largest power generation company; and NuStar Political Action Committee, an oil and gas group. Fixing Texas power grid was about the only thing Republicans and Democrats in the legislative session seemed to agree on earlier this year. There is also a time lag in posting the information. These tables list the top donors to officeholders in 2022. AUSTIN Gov. King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. A lot of things can happen. Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, who is seeking his third term in office, has reported huge fundraising hauls in the past, amassing staggering amounts of cash in his campaign coffers. State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment Walker, the chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and a former senior policy advisor to Abbott, contributed $7,620 to Texans for Greg Abbott from 2009 to 2015, state campaign records show. The organizations that donated the most money to Abbott this reporting period have previously given to the governor. But Luthers star appears to have dimmed after she lost a special election for state Senate last month. On his first day in the gubernatorial race in November 2021, ORourke received donations worth a total of $1.7 million from his Powered by People PAC, which has been raising money since 2019 to boost Texas Democrats. AUSTIN Gov. Oil and gas executives S. Javaid Anwar and Gary Martin, in particular, have been regular contributors to Abbott for years. Crenshaw, 36, is almost as renowned a fundraiser as Abbott, 63. Abbotts: Oil mogul Javaid S. Anwar of Midland had given Abbott nearly $2.5 millionas well as $200,000 to Paxton. According to the most recent campaign finance reports made to the Texas Ethics Commission, the governor received $44,778,653 in total contributions and spent $37,930,300 between January 1, 2021 and February 19, 2022. State Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, chair of the powerful state affairs committee in the House, was among those lawmakers. Texas doesnt limit political giving, with no caps on individual contributions for candidates for state office. Together, we will make sure that Texas remains the best state to live, work, and raise a family. He is an amateur triathlete, enjoys playing and watching soccer, traveling and hanging out with his wife. Polling data suggests a large percentage of voters might agree with O'Rourke on increasing abortion access and gun reform. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. O'Rourke, who launched his campaign in November, raised the significant sum over 46 days on the campaign trail from more than115,600 contributions of which roughly 80% were made online. During that week, Abbott assured Texans the grid was in better shape than ever. The. The Abbott campaign is eyeing aggressive advertising strategies ahead of the November election. in the DFW area that need your help or can provide help during Abbott had $55 million saved up for his reelection campaign at the end of June. In Texas, Gov. The epic Texas freeze fueled a surge of campaign cash, with the war chest of Gov. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015 and as a member of the Texas Supreme Court from 1996 to 2001.. Abbott was the third Republican to serve as attorney general of Texas since the . In late June, it announced an $8.15 million digital media advertising buy, $8.8 million for TV and radio ads, and $2.75 million for Spanish media ads across platforms. interest group. Robert T. Garrett, Austin Bureau Chief. And talk of a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. On ORourkes campaign they added, This is a grassroots campaign funded largely by the people of Texasnot the select few who know they can buy Abbott off.. First, we apply a code to the contribution, identifying the industry. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. But to build a better future for every Texan, I need your help. have always come from the energy industry, recently acquired by Roskis Majestic Realty. Carpenter, Cobos and Walker are three of 10 remaining ERCOT board members after the five others all of whom live out of state resigned this week. Abbott, who has held a commanding lead in cash on hand during the race, touts $46 million in his campaign coffers. Carney said Abbott spent $6.1 million to help down-ballot Republicans. Here is how fundraising by Texas Gov. This is up from 19% after the 2019 session. However, his $7.7 million haul in the first half of 2020 was a nearly 12% decrease from the same phase of his initial term. Learn more about our work here. The Stockyards Station Hotel, recently acquired by Roskis Majestic Realty, donated over $382,000 in event expenses while HillCo PAC, an Austin lobbyist firm, donated a total of $336,000. Totals for industries (and larger economic state officeholders may be subject to longer time lags, as OpenSecrets aggregates this information from many sources Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name. Corporations themselves cannot donate to candidates at the federal level but federal candidates can get contributions from corporate PACs, employees and owners as well as their immediate families. Abbott has long been considered a prolific fundraiser and O'Rourke garnered a similar reputation during his 2018 bid for the U.S. Senate, when he raised more than $80 million for his campaign. ORourke, who has had significantly less time to fundraise compared to Abbott, reported raising $4.3 million from the beginning of the year to February 19, compared to Abbott, who raised $5.3 million in the same time frame. Energy Transfer CEO Kelcy Warren is one of Abbotts top donors. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. Because Texas has no campaign finance contribution limits, its possible both candidates will accumulate and spend record-breaking amounts of campaign cash by Election Day. More:Greg Abbott campaign promises 'knock-out, drag-out fight' in race against Beto O'Rourke. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports. Referring to gun control stands by ORourke and the possibility the Texas Democrat could return to Washington, Carney said, Being Biden administration gun czar is not the best credential to use to run for anything in Texas.. The Abbott campaign said it has raised nearly $68 million since the campaign's start in June 2021. So although an Abbott campaign news release touted the $19.2 million he raised last year, it was just an 8% increase over the $17.8 million he raised in 2016. His campaign accepted more than $12 million in political contributions from oil and gas companies and executives this election cycle. Gov. Among the state lawmakers Karnei has contributed to are representatives Shelby Slawson, Phil King and Matt Shaheen, all Republican members of the committee now charged with investigating ERCOT. I wouldnt count him out., Last fall, Abbott gave money and shared his campaigns detailed voter information database with GOP hopefuls in several of the key Texas House contests. Still, ORourke does have a few of his own billionaire supporters. Corporations themselves cannot donate to candidates at the federal level but federal candidates can get Just before the energy donations poured in for Abbott in June, the power grid operator asked Texans, mid-heat wave, to conserve power and turn their thermostats to 78 degrees for a week in order to reduce electricity demand because significant power generation was unexpectedly offline. Heres how they compare. The O'Rourke campaign has not yet released how much cash on hand it has. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race, Ahead of primary, Gov. Tickets are on sale now for this multi-day celebration of big, bold ideas about politics, public policy and the days news, curated by The Texas Tribunes award-winning journalists. However, Democratic challenger Beto ORourke reported raising $27.6 million from late February through June, which is the most a candidate for state office in Texas has ever raised in a single reporting period. Democrats have not won a statewide office in three decades, but incumbent Republican Ken Paxton is deemed vulnerable because of his2015 felony indictment for securities fraudand unrelated accusations of corruption that his top aides took to the FBIin late 2020. Gas producers got a pass by Texas policymakers, said Michael Webber, professor of energy resources at the University of Texas at Austin. DeSantis, who frequently tangles . If enough contributions came in from people connected Second, we standardize the name of the donor's employer. The warnings led to renewed calls for the Legislature to take more urgent action to fix the power grid. O'Rourke did not say how much money his campaign has on hand -- or how much it has spent -- while teasing his fundraising numbers before filing his latest campaign finance report. Greg Abbott, the state budget and CPS and foster care. Despite corporations statements this week that theyre suspending contributions to Republicans, Im not worried about how its going to affect the governors fundraising, Carney said. ORourke received about 391,496 individual donations from outside the state, while Abbott received roughly 109,493. Warren spent more than $10 million to try to get Trump reelected in 2020. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. Rick Perry and Democrat Tony Sanchez spent in 2002 and the combined $90 million Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis spent in 2014. contributor provides it. How much have the candidates raised so far? "I'm grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63. This means that overall, Abbotts Texas donors gave more than ORourkes Texas donors. Separate from discussion of the virus outbreak, some have wondered whether Houston-area GOP congressman Dan Crenshaw, whos seen nationally as a Republican comer, might jump into a race against Abbott. OpenSecrets A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 857-0044 INFO: info@crp.org ALBANY - Gov. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Greg Abbott. Join us Sept. 20-25 at the 2021 Texas Tribune Festival. Abbott reported $37.9 million, with 79.1 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list. Patrick is in the middle of a131-stop bus tour across Texas, while Collier continues totout his alliances with moderateRepublicans who are endorsing him over the incumbent. Abbott said 81% of his donors were from Texas. Gov. If recent historys any guide, by November 2022, which will be Bidens first midterm election, Democrats may not be riding so high, he noted. Abbotts biggest individual donors have always come from the energy industry, and this time is no exception, with energy tycoons making up 40% of his top 10 donors. Unsurprisingly, Gov. How has the candidates fundraising compared over time? Dave Carney, Abbott's chief political strategist, said Wednesday that he expected O'Rourke to have strong fundraising numbers. These generous contributions from people all across Texas show just how excited Texans are for this campaign, Abbott said in a statement. Rick Perry, worked to cultivate a wide base of financial support from energy interests, Rottinghaus said. Leading up to Abbotts decision, Lt. Gov. A PUC spokesman instead sent the following statement: Dillon, responding on Chairman Walkers behalf as shes still fully engaged in issues related to the winter storm related grid event. However, Abbott has been a prolific fundraiser for years, which gave him the upper hand earlier in the race. But none has reaped campaign contributions on the scale of Abbott, who in six years in office has raised more than $150 million from donors, more than any governor in U.S. history. In 2021, the Abbott campaign had out-raised the O'Rourke campaign since the start of their respective campaigns. The totals, calculated by aggregating individual donations reported in those filings, do not include non-monetary or in-kind contributions. Wheat criticized Abbotts decision last week to blame the power grids supply issues on frozen wind turbines. Collier now has more money, a stronger team and a ground game that has pushed Patrick torun a more aggressive and public-facing campaignthan he ran four years ago. Abbott hasnt detailed what he wants the Republican-controlled Legislature, which convened Tuesday, to accomplish this year. Other billionaires with major oil and gas interests who are backing Abbott include Nancy Kinder, the wife of Kinder Morgan cofounder Richard Kinder; Hilcorp cofounder Jeff Hildebrand; Chief Oil & Gas founder Trevor Rees-Jones; Hunt Oil heir Ray Lee Hunt and Western Refining founder Paul Foster, who Abbott appointed to run the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission in April last year. The Legislature ultimately passed a bill shepherded by Paddie in the House and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, in the Senate that requires power generation companies to prepare to withstand extreme weather conditions. Abbotts roster of rich donors is full of Texas Republicans with oil interestssome of who supported Trump ahead of the 2020 election. He helped raised $54 million for GOP gubernatorial candidates in other states, Carney said. "The nearly 113,000 contributions illustrates that Gov. Governor Abbott represents all Texans, and thats what he takes into account every day as he works on behalf of the Lone Star State, spokeswoman Renae Eze said. Im grateful for everyone who helped raise $25.18 million in just three months as we support the work of our organizers and record-breaking 100,000 volunteers, said ORourke. Democrat Mike Collier gets his rematch with incumbent Lt. Gov. Thats what allows Gov. Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester said: No one has been tougher on the energy sector and more proactive for ratepayers this session than Lt. Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. The O'Rourke campaign said nearly all of the more than 511,000 contributions to the campaign, at an average of $54, came from online donors and that teachers contributed more than people from any other occupation. He loves being lieutenant governor and is not running against Gov. Had the bill passed, Walker would not be running the PUC. Cobos was appointed chief executive and public counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC) by Abbott in March 2019, three months after donating $1,050 to Abbotts campaign, state contribution records show. Abbott's campaign said his roughly $25 million in donations from the most recent filing period came from nearly 45,000 contributors, which is 1/10th of the number of donors reported by his. On June 23, Warren cut a check to Abbott's campaign for $1 million, according to the governor's latest campaign finance filing, which covers January through June. Recession. individuals may be classified instead as ideological donors. Abbott received about $4.6 million from oil, gas and broader energy interests, his largest haul ever from those groups in the post-legislative session fundraising period following the four regular legislative sessions during Abbotts tenure as governor. Other lawmakers who saw some of the largest spikes in funding from the energy industry were those who authored the power grid legislation and chaired the committees that heard the bills. Donors who give more than $200 to any federal candidate, PAC or party committee must list their occupation and This is a BETA experience. Here's sectors) can be seen in each candidate and race profile, and in the Industry Profile section of the OpenSecrets Since the beginning of last year, Abbotts campaign has raised about $5.5 million from at least 17 billionaires and 3 spouses of billionaires. All rights reserved, Texas House Plans to Pass Largest Property Tax Decrease Ever,' Speaker Phelan Says, Texas Republicans to Vote on Resolution That Would Censure Rep. Tony Gonzales, 3 Children Killed, 2 Wounded in Ellis County Home; 1 in Custody: Sheriff, Actor Tom Sizemore, of Saving Private Ryan,' Dies at 61. by Carla Astudillo, Caroline Covington and Eric Lau Before Abbott and O'Rourke can face off at the polls, both candidates must first win their respective March 1 primary races. For some energy experts, the increase in donations for the officials at the close of the session looks like a reward for not passing more stringent regulations and raises questions about whether lawmakers let the oil, gas and the broader energy industry off easy for its massive failures. Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. Patricks calls came after he tried to assert himself prominently in responding to the winter storm by demanding leadership changes at state regulatory agencies and sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. Through Nov. 30, even with federal fundraising constraints, Crenshaw in the last two-year cycle raised a whopping $19 million. A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017 would have prohibited the governor from appointing a political donor to a position if he or she had contributed more than $2,500 in a year. the Coronavirus crisis. Open Secrets following the money in politics, OpenSecrets Following the money in politics, Why (and How) We Use Donors' Employer/Occupation Information, Organization unavailable for these records. "As we move into the heat of the summer campaign, were well positioned to fund all our campaign efforts, Texans for Greg Abbott Campaign Chairman Gardner Pate said in the Friday release. Greg Abbott raised $11.5 million from July through December, and now can brandish almost $38 million of cash as he tries to scare off opponents in his campaign for a third term next year. Making a million-dollar political donation to reward the government for its light touch and encourage the government to continue turning a blind eye to price gouging and windfall profits while hundreds of people die seems like a good return on investment., Making a million-dollar political donation to reward the government for its light touch and encourage the government to continue turning a blind eye to price gouging and windfall profits while hundreds of people die seems like a good return on investment..